Pennsylvania Commission Bans Michael Gill from Horse Racing at Penn

The Pennsylvania Horse Racing  Commission has ejected owner Michael Gill from racing at Penn National Race Course, claiming his participation would disrupt the orderly conduct of racing at the track.
Gill was notified late Tuesday afternoon by the commission that his horses will no longer be permitted to race at Penn National, located in Grantville, Pa., although Gill said from New Hampshire that he understood the ruling to mean his horses will still be permitted to race at Philadelphia Park.
Gill said on Monday that he planned to get out of racing in the wake of the controversy that stemmed from two of his horses breaking down at Penn National, but he still planned to race horses at the track this week.

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The commission ruling came at the conclusion of their investigation into recent breakdowns of Gill’s horses at Penn and some 24 hours before the Wednesday card was to begin. Part of the ruling reads that Gill’s further participation “will jeopardize the orderly conduct of the race meet” and that “your presence and continued participation has been inconsistent with the best interest of racing.”
Eric Schippers, spokesman for Penn National Gaming, said, “We plan to comply fully with this, and we’re pleased the commission took such swift action to our request to investigate this matter.”
Gill met at length Saturday at Penn with officials and veterinarians from the track to address the situation that existed since the breakdown of Laughing Moon on Jan. 23. Gill said he was informed at the Saturday meeting that necropsies ordered by the track for Laughing Moon and for Melodeeman, who also suffered a catastrophic breakdown Jan. 21 at Penn, uncovered no wrongdoing.
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Triple Crown 2010 – Piscitelli will miss 2010 Triple Crown Horse Racing

William C. Schettine’s Grade 3-placed winner Piscitelli will be sidelined for at least 90 days after sustaining a leg injury in the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) on January 23 at Gulfstream Park.
Trainer Richard Sacco said the three-year-old Victory Gallop colt will be out of training from February through April, which would eliminate him from consideration for this year’s Triple Crown Horse Racing.
Piscitelli faded after setting the pace and was eased by jockey Kent Desormeaux in the Holy Bull. The colt’s right hind limb appeared to be injured following the race and digital X-rays were taken of his hocks, stifles, and fetlocks by Luis Castro, D.V.M.

Piscitelli subsequently was then sent to Palm Beach Equine Clinic in Wellington, Florida, for further evaluation. A bone scan revealed an injury to his right hind cannon bone.
“Piscitelli has a deep bone bruise at the bottom of his right hind cannon bone,” Castro said. “Although it is painful, horses with this injury can make a complete recovery with 90 days rest.”
It says that he will miss this year’s Triple Crown Horse Racing.
Piscitelli won his second start, a one-mile maiden special weight race in July at Monmouth Park, prior to a third-place finish in the Arlington-Washington Futurity (G3) on September 5 at Arlington Park.
He then finished fifth in the Dixiana Breeders’ Futurity (G1) at Keeneland Race Course and fourth in the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Santa Anita Park to cap his 2009 season.
Overall, Piscitelli has won one of six starts with a second- and a third-place finish, and has earned $181,570. He is out of Grade 2-placed stakes winner Rayelle, by Relaunch.
“The prognosis for soundness and a full recovery is excellent, and we are thankful to have the opportunity to race this talented colt again in the future,” Sacco said. “Hopefully, we will be ready for races like the Haskell [Invitational Stakes (G1)], [Shadwell] Travers [Stakes (G1)], and Pennsylvania Derby (G3) toward the end of summer and early fall.”
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Horse of the Year Winner Rachel Alexandra goes back to work

Rachel Alexandra goes back to work: Rachel Alexandra, the newly crowned horse racing betting Horse of the Year, had her first official work of the year Sunday, worning four furlongs in 52 seconds at Fair Grounds Race Track in New Orleans.
2009 Horse of the Year, Rachel Alexandra posted her first breeze at Fair Grounds, Sunday morning with regular exercise rider Dominic Terry in the irons going a half-mile in: 52.

Reguarl exerice rider Dominic Terry was on board the 4-year-old filly, who won all eight of her starts last season.
“I even asked for a touch slower but for her that’s just physically impossible,” said Scott Blasi, the assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen, after the work. “Dominic did a good job. He had to trick her into going that slow but right now that’s what’s best for her.
“It was a perfect work,” he said. “We’re not out to impress anybody at this point. I’m happy with how manageable she is, how happy she is being out there. Looking at her body motion, she’s happy with what she’s doing.”
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The plan is for Rachel to breeze on a weekly basis from now on but the day will depend on the weather and track conditions.
Of course, what everyone wants to know now is when Rachel will meet Zenyatta, the top older mare from last year. There are no plans right now but it seems inevitable they will meet sometime this year.
Fans were hoping to see the two compete in the upcoming Apple Blossom (GR I) at Oaklawn Park on April 3rd, but that is hardly unlikely.
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2010 Kentucky Derby Contenders: Jackson Bend - Kentucky Derby 2010

Jackson Bend is the newest of our 2010 Kentucky Derby contenders and this is one of the entries you’ll want to keep a close eye on.

The 2010 Kentucky Derby horse racing betting future odds are up and you can get 18/1 on Jackson Bend right now. You’ll want to take that before this weekend’s race because it’s very possible that Jackson Bend becomes the favorite if he wins the Holy Bull Stakes.

This is the one horse amongst the 2010 Kentucky Derby contenders’ potential field that produced the fastest Beyer speed figure for two turns in North America as a 2-year old, and you have to put Jackson Bend up at the top of the list along with Looking at Lucky and Buddy’s Saint.

Jackson Bend stumbled to 2nd in his first race, but has since reeled off 5 straight victories at Calder. This horse can flat out fly and proved he’s deserves to be amongst the favorites for the 2010 Kentucky Derby Betting after stumbling badly at the start of the In Reality before coming from way back to seize victory.

The Gulfstream race has Jackson Bend as the favorite, and this will be a great test to see exactly where this 3-year old fits into the Kentucky Derby picture. Other premier contenders such as Aikenite and Piscitelli are also involved and we’ll have our picks and predictions up on the day of the race.

Check out the previews for the rest of our 2010 Kentucky Derby Betting contenders before checking out the full early Kentucky Derby odds on the potential entries.

Horse Racing Worse Off Than BCS Mess

It is too bad the folks who run the BCS don't run Horse Racing Betting too. For as ridiculous a way it is that the BCS goes about crowning a so-called best college football team in the land -- an arranged marriage, I call it -- it would be an upgrade for how the monarchs in the sport of kings go about naming their best horse. This year, especially, they looked like dunces instead.

To be sure, Horse Racing chose the three-year-old filly Rachel Alexandra (pictured) on Monday night in Beverly Hills as the 2009 Horse of the Year at its Eclipse Awards, which are a sort of Oscars' handout for the horse racing game. She etched herself into the public psyche last season with a win in the Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown, against a field full of boys with that crazy Calvin Borel in her saddle. She won her other seven starts last season, including two more against nothing but boys, to finish 8-0.

With such a stellar record, she appeared impossible to argue against -- unless you were the handlers of another female, a five-year-old mare named Zenyatta. Horse Racing Betting

US Horse of the year result announced tonight – Rachel Alexandra vs Zenyatta

US Horse of the year result @ Horse Racing Betting: The results of the most highly anticipated Horse of the Year vote ever taken will be announced tonight at the Eclipse Awards banquet at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. Will the winner be Rachel Alexandra or Zenyatta?

Each horse won every one of her races in 2009 – eight for Rachel Alexandra including five Grade 1 events and three against male opponents and five for Zenyatta including four Grade 1 events and the Breeders’ Cup Classic against males.

There were 232 ballots returned for the Eclipse Awards, the yearly honors for 10 divisions of thoroughbreds, one of steeplechasers and five of humans. Voters are either members of the National Turf Writers Association, employees of the Daily Racing Form or representatives of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, which includes horse betting track racing secretaries and workers at its statistical arm Equibase.

Comparing the merits of racing’s two superstars isn’t easy, and not because they didn’t race against each other.

Rachel Alexandra dominated races restricted to 3-year-old fillies in 2009, setting margin-of-victory records in both the Kentucky Oaks (20 1/4 lengths) and the Mother Goose Stakes (19 1/4 lengths).

Zenyatta’s body of work as a 5-year-old mare in 2009 wasn’t quite as impressive, because she didn’t race outside of the synthetic tracks in California and her four victories before the Breeders’ Cup Classic came against the same fillies and mares she always beats. She also enjoyed at least four weeks between each start.

The Eclipse champions are determined through voting by NTWA members, Daily Racing Form employees, NTRA-member designates and Equibase personnel, who vote for the top three in each category. Winners are based solely on first-place votes, with second- and third-place votes used to determine finalists. The exception is the Horse of the Year race. In a rule change this year, voters chose just one horse.

Read US Horse of the year news @ Horse Racing Betting

Belmont Stakes Betting – 2010 Belmont Stakes Horse Racing

2010 Belmont Stakes Betting: The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. The Belmont Stakes race is the third and final leg of the Triple Crown, following five weeks after the Kentucky Derby, and three weeks after the Preakness Stakes.

It is a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old colts and geldings carrying a weight of 126 pounds (57 kg) and for fillies with a weight of 121 pounds (55 kg).

Because of its distance and status as the race that can make or break a Triple Crown champion, the Belmont Stakes has been the venue for some of the most famous moments in American racing.

The 2010 Belmont Stakes Horse Racing will be held at Belmont Park, New York. The date of 2010 Belmont Stakes Horse Racing Betting will start on June 5, 2010.

The Belmont Stakes, the final and most demanding leg of the Triple Crown, is named after August Belmont who had been a leading banker and racing man of the 19th century. He was also the first President of the Jockey Club in 1867. In 1869, August Belmont took first and second money with his own Fenian and Glenelg.

Belmont Stakes Information

Location: Belmont Park, Elmont, New York, United States

Inaugurated: 1867

Race type: Thoroughbred

Website: belmontstakes.com

Race information

Distance: 1½ miles (12 furlongs), Track Dirt, Left-handed

Qualification: 3-year-old

Weight: Colt/Gelding: 126 lbs (57.2 kg)

Filly: 121 lbs. (54.9 kg)

Purse: US$1 million

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